Early examples of modernism in poetry began in the mid-1910's. Poetry started to shift from a romantic or transcendental philosophy to a more modern and urban philosophy. T.S. Eliot is one of the most famous poets for the way he uses these philosophies in his works. One of Eliot's best-known poems, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," is considered one of the most important poems in American literature because of how well it represents Modern literature. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" describes how Prufrock feels about his life and the isolation and impotence he feels in the modern world. T.S. Eliot describes Prufrock's feelings about isolation and impotence in society through his fear of being judged by society and fear of
The use of allusions bring a sense of intimacy between reader and author. Prufrock wishes to be comforted.
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Elliot begins with a quote isolated from the poem, and extracted from Dante’s Inferno, “If I thought my answer were to one who could to return to the world, I would not reply at all, but as none ever did return alive from this depth, without fear of infamy I did answer thee” This quote acts a preface to the poem, it clearly outlines the author’s intention in writing. From this quote we can interpret Elliot’s poem as a letter from Alfred to his deceased lover. Based on the assumption that this poem is written to sooth Alfred’s conscious as he grieves, without the regard of unintended readers, we can then label the piece as a soliloquy. The beginning of Alfred’s soliloquy is marked by his statement, “when the evening is spread out against the sky, like a patient etherized upon a table” (lines 2-3). Alfred suggests that he is “etherized,” or anesthetized in a state similar to that of his lover. His lover is on the other side, and he is detached in a state of grief. Throughout the remainder of the poem, Alfred reflects on their relationship.
Eliot). T. S. Eliot’s “The Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” is recognized as one of the most important poems of all time because almost everyone can identify with the insecurity of J. Alfred Prufrock at one time or other, which makes it very realistic.
T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is an ironic depiction of a man’s inability to take decisive action in a modern society that is void of meaningful human connection. The poem reinforces its central idea through the techniques of fragmentation, and through the use of Eliot’s commentary about Prufrock’s social world. Using a series of natural images, Eliot uses fragmentation to show Prufrock’s inability to act, as well as his fear of society. Eliot’s commentary about Prufrock’s social world is also evident throughout. At no point in the poem did Prufrock confess his love, even though it is called “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, but through this poem, T.S. Eliot voices his social commentary about the world that
Although Modernism is very difficult to define and pinpoint, the Modern writers in England certainty changed the age with their writing. While there were many famous writers of the time, a very distinct and powerful writers was T.S. Eliot. Thomas Stearns Eliot was born in St. Louis, Missouri (Greenblatt 1298). Although T.S. Eliot was born in the United States, he was just as much of a Modern English writer as any other writer was during the Modern Age. T.S. Eliot marveled his writing, leaving the Modern age forever change. Through his many years of writing, he accomplished a great deal through his writing and influence. One of his more notable works was “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”. Although the piece is rather frustrating at times to read with J.
Loneliness is a feeling that we have all felt here and there. A man in the poem “ The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S Eliot feels trapped which caused him to have disorders. Nothing has never changed from living in the same city and not using his time wisely. He tried numerous ways to approach women but his low self esteem stopped him from moving forward. Although Prufrock seems like a miserable person, Prufrock suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, and paranoia that caused him to feel this way.
We may never be given a second chance to do something daring ever again so we seize the day! However, people like in J. Alfred Prufrock make the attempt to do but it doesn’t work. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” written by T.S. Elliot, essentially is about a simple man that wishes to ask a question, although the question is never revealed, the reader is taken on journey the with the speaker, only to find that they have spent a lengthy amount of time of their lives without ever asking the question. Even more so, this poem is illustrates the idea that we must confront reality and take advantage or never take the chance. This claim is supported through poetic and rhetoric elements, such as repetition, and symbolism.
The love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a poem that tells the story of a man who once had the confidence to talk to women. The man loses confidence because of him getting shot down by women. The main dilemma of the poem is that Prufrock no longer has the confidence to talk to women and he becomes old and lonely because of this. The main dilemma is expressed through the speaker’s voice and the unusual syntax of the poem. The unusual syntax of the poem makes it so that it there is not a definite rhyme scheme and the repeated patterns to help emphasize the main dilemma. Throughout the poem the speaker’s voice changes as it shifts from Prufrock having the confidence to talk to women to him lacking the confidence to women.
The first piece of information presented on the speaker of the poem “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock” is located in the title- his name is J. Alfred Prufrock. He seems to be a middle-aged man, as he references “...a bald spot in the middle of my hair—” and growing old multiple times. Also mentioned is his clothing; he wears a morning coat with his collar and a “necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—”. This indicates he is most likely middle to upper class, as his clothing is good but simple. His class is also evident in the allusions he makes to Michelangelo in the line “Talking of Michelangelo”, the bible in the line “To say: “I am Lazarus…”, and Shakespeare in the line “No! I am not Prince Hamlet…”. These are references
Eliot's poem "The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is a dramatic monologue. I think the poem's central themes include Prufrock's inability to act and his feelings of alienation. I think in the beginning
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot is not a love song at all—but an insight into the mind of an extremely self-conscious, middle-aged man. Prufrock struggles in coping with the world he is living in—a world where his differences make him feel lonely and alienated. Eliot uses allusions and imagery, characterization, and the society Prufrock lives in to present how Prufrock partly contributes to his own alienation. Our ability of self-awareness separates us from other species, making humans more intelligent and giving people the upper hand in social settings, but, like Prufrock, it can sometimes cause us to feel alienated.
Pericles once said "Be ruled by time, the wisest counselor of all." This ruler of the past might not have had the technology of today, but he did not need it to recognize time’s domineering nature over all mankind. No matter what advances man makes, he will never be able to slow down time nor stop it completely; nor it appears will he be able to leap into the past or the future. Time is one thing that man cannot manipulate, instead it manipulates man. No poem better illustrates this point than T.S. Eliot’s "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Prufrock is trapped by the conundrum of time in that no matter what he does, he always regresses to his starting point. His life has been reduced to a diurnal cycle of monotonous chores that seem dictated by time. Prufrock’s " decisions and revisions" are tedious and monotonous; in a sense, he has no free will. His lack of self-control can be clearly seen in his circular voyage throughout the poem: he begins his journey by conforming to time, makes a meager attempt to disrupt the invariability of everyday life, and finds himself again hopelessly bound by time to his habitual tendencies.
T.S Elliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is the poem of a man by the name of J. Alfred Prufrock in which he expresses his doubts and insecurities as he yearns for love and descends into his old age. The most significant aspect of the poem is the epigraph. The poems epigraph alone expresses the poems overall purpose and character’s intent. Though the epigraph seemingly differs from the rest of the poem, Elliot melds the juxtaposition of the poem and the epigraph’s “love” and “hell” to mirror Prufrock. Through the epigraph’s structure in contrast to the rest of the poem, its symbolism, and the epigraphs underlying characteristics, Elliot indicates that Prufrock’s quest for love is its own circle of hell.
In the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", Modern poet T.S. Eliot makes use of a man, Alfred Prufrock, who is tormented by his inactivity in the physical and intellectual arenas in his life to provoke a sense of disconnection from the modern world. His utilization of an epigraph that alludes to Dante's Inferno and repetition that dramatizes self-criticism creates a parallel between hell and earth; shedding light upon the constricting qualities of society that cause the narrator to be a passive spectator in life and become an antithesis of the joy a long song entails. The poem begins with an epigraph that sets a tone for the poem by creating links between fantasies and reality that directly correlate with Prufrock's self-views and
T. S. Eliot uses irony and symbolism to capture the reader's attention in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The poem has a dramatic discourse. The percipience of life's emptiness is the main theme of the poem. Eliot exhorts the spiritual decomposition by exploring a type of life in death. T. S. Eliot, who in the Clark Lectures notes, "Real Irony is an expression of suffering"(Lobb, 53), uses irony and symbolism throughout the poem to exemplify the suffering of J. Alfred Prufrock who believes he is filled with spiritual morbidity and lack of feeling. Eliot utilizes various ironic interjections from other poets, and he uses ironic satirical rhyming phrases that fashion a sort of inane contradiction. Eliot uses many symbols to show